A growing number of people are using the worldwide web to choose and book their South West holidays, a survey finds.

The survey, by Cornwall Enterprise's VisitCornwall service, reveals that the internet is now the single main source of information for visitors to the Westcountry, being used more frequently than brochures, newspaper ads or any other printed material.

More than 1,000 visitors took part in face-to-face interviews in Bude, Falmouth, Looe, Newquay, St Ives and Truro between July 2006 and June 2007, as part of the official Cornwall Visitor Survey.

First conducted in 1983, the biennial report aims to provide an accurate and up-to-date profile of Cornwall's tourism sector, while highlighting any emerging trends.

This year's results show that as well as using the net for information, 62 per cent of internet users also now book their holiday accommodation online.

A further 7 per cent use the web to buy other services such as car hire, flights or tickets to attractions.

Nigel Ashcroft, Actnow: "The whole face of the tourism market is changing with the internet now the first choice for visitors seeking information."

Actnow, the partnership spearheading broadband in Cornwall, welcomed the findings of the survey.

Its project director, Nigel Ashcroft, said: "The whole face of the tourism market is changing with the internet now the first choice for visitors seeking information.

"It is vital that tourism providers in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly fully embrace the opportunities this presents, or they will be left behind."

Ben Jakes, manager of Tregarthen's Hotel on the Isles of Scilly, said he had noticed a growing trend towards online booking.

"We installed an online booking system last year and our bookings have increased significantly. It is more convenient for the customer because they can book at a time that suits them, even if it is at midnight," explained Mr Jakes.

"There is no question that this means more bookings and more profitability for the hotel."

As well as promoting use of the internet for websites and online booking, Actnow also encourages accommodation providers to install wireless broadband as a service that guests can use.

Over 200 tourism businesses in Cornwall now offer WiFi to visitors.

Mr Jakes added: "At Tregarthen's, we now offer a WiFi service that is free to guests. This is a great advantage to our visitors as may of them want to keep up to date with emails while they are away or continue to use the Internet as an information source to make the most of their holiday."

Teresa Timms, PR manager of VisitCornwall, said: "The internet is revolutionising tourism as consumers change their expectations and buying habits. We are really pleased that accommodation providers in the county are rising to the challenge and adapting to visitors’ changing needs."